Hollyleaf's Story/Chapter 7
Chapter description :Two days have passed since Hollyleaf's return to the tunnels. Fallen Leaves brings her food and herbs to help her regain her strength. The former ThunderClan warrior wakes up and her companion appears almost at once with a minnow. The she-cat swallows it, thinking to herself it wasn't as good as the prey in the woods. The black feline tells him about seeing the fox cub again. Fallen Leaves is surprised by this and asks her if she was sure it was the same one and if it recognized her. Hollyleaf shakes her head and admits it only saw her as a piece of prey. The ginger-and-white cat feels amused with her for thinking the cub would remember her. The she-cat says she felt lonely during her time aboveground, however her friend reminds her she is not alone. He suggests they should check the tunnels and catch a fish afterwards. :Night arrives overhead and the two companions are cuddling together. Hollyleaf starts purring and the tom asks her what she is thinking about. The loner confesses to him how glad she is to be back and guesses she isn't cut out to be alone. The ginger-and-white tom licks her ear and agrees with her. The black she-cat asks Fallen Leaves if he ever thinks about the group of cats he left behind. The two-colored loner meows he does so everyday, but he doesn't remember that much. Hollyleaf prompts her friend to tell him about his family and he tells about his mother Broken Shadow. He ends it with how much he wanted to be a sharpclaw. Fallen Leaves then asks Hollyleaf about her mother, and the black she-cat admits she has two mothers. The tom's ears prick up and Hollyleaf tells him her real mother was a medicine cat and how they're not supposed to have kits. The black cat painfully recalls her last encounter with her real mother and how she had told the brown tabby she deserved to die for her mistakes. Fallen Leaves thinks both of her mothers loved her after having a short discussion. Hollyleaf tells him the truth is what matters most, however her friend tells her not to punish them for loving her. The tom settles down to sleep and Hollyleaf thinks back to how everything was complicated by lies and Ashfur's murder. :The cold weather makes it harder for fish to appear underground, and Hollyleaf starts hunting in the woods again. She keeps an eye out for any sign of foxes and swerves when she sees a trail of paw prints. The scent of a yarrow patch helps guide her back to the tunnels. She keeps her hearing sharp for her former Clanmates and wonders how they are doing in leaf-bare. A quarter moon passes and the loner thinks more about her former Clan in the river-cave. Fallen Leaves startles her from behind by asking her if she misses her Clanmates. Feeling guilty by his question, she mews she wants to know if they're okay since leaf-bare provides hard hunting. The dead cat suggests for her to go see them and remain unseen from their sight. Hollyleaf agrees inwardly she would do it, as she knows the territory well enough to stay hidden. Characters Major *Fallen Leaves }} Mentioned *The Ancients *Broken Shadow *Leafpool *Squirrelflight *Crowfeather *Jayfeather (unnamed) *Lionblaze (unnamed) *Brambleclaw *Ashfur (flashback) }} Notes and references Category:Chapter subpages Category:Novellas Category:Hollyleaf's Story